Climbing into a boat, and getting out of a boat, can be notoriously difficult, especially when the boat is pulled up to the shoreline and is in shallow water as is often the case with a fishing boat such as a river drift boat, or otherwise when the shore-to-boat junction is less than ideal. Not surprisingly, there are many known devices that are intended to make vessel boarding and disembarking easier. However, most of these devices require either a permanent or hard mounted (to the vessel) attachment point, or a two hook (over the gunwale or transom type) ladder. While such known devices can make boarding and disembarking easier than simply climbing over the gunwale or transom, there are also disadvantages.
For example, with the hard-mounted variety there is only one location for boarding and disembarking—i.e., where the device is mounted to either the hull or transom. This requires that the boat is positioned on the shore such that the hard-mounted device is accessible and adjacent the shore. This is not always possible or convenient depending on the situation. Moreover, permanently or semi-permanently mounting an external device onto a boat is not something that many boat owners want to do. Not only can the device impede performance of the vessel, but the permanent mounts can alter the appearance and functionality of the boat. Another permanent solution that is used on some drift boats is a hinged access doorway that is cut through the hull, typically near the bow. While such a doorway eases access to the boat, the hatch inherently compromises the structural integrity of the hull and may be prone to leaking. And some drift boat owners simply do not like the through-hull doors.
As for the two-hook, over-the-gunwale-or-transom variety, these devices are often cumbersome to use because of the way they hang over the gunwale or transom. Moreover, due to the fact that these ladder-type devices hang on either the gunwale or transom, they tend to create a boarding and disembarking platform that is not entirely stable and which can rock from side to side when a person steps on the rungs of the ladder.
Given the drawbacks of the prior solutions to the problems of getting into and out of a boat, there is always an ongoing need for a device that satisfies boarding and disembarking from multiple locations around the vessel, is simple in form and function, floats, allowing the device to be free from constraints, is easily attached and/or removed from the vessel, is stable at all points of attachment, and does not incorporate permanent mounting fixtures.
The present invention accomplishes all of the foregoing by utilizing a single rigid (over the gunwale or transom) mount, and includes a bracing feature that contacts the hull of the vessel. The increased contact area between the device and the vessel provides stability that is lacking from prior solutions and results in the device inflicting no damage to the vessel.
Although, a single size device according to the present invention is able to satisfy the boarding and disembarking requirements of several types and sizes of vessels, this invention can easily be manufactured in various sizes with varying degrees of adjustability to compensate for the varieties in vessel hull types without losing its unique qualities.